Mother Teresa's Diligence

Every month, I update my sidebar to reflect the monthly devotion and monthly virtue. For August, the virtue is diligence. After some reflection, I decided the best picture to illustrate diligence was Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta.

The definition of diligence is steadfast application, assiduousness and industry. The reason I chose Mother Teresa to represent this virtue is because she was the very definition of Christian steadfastness. She worked for decades among India's dying poor, running a hospice for those who had no one to be with them in their last hours on earth.

Only after her death did we discover that she suffered from a dark night of the soul for most of her life. For decades she did not hear the voice of God, she did not sense His presence and, at times, she even doubted whether or not He was there at all.

And yet, she kept on. She cared for the poor and for the sisters in her care, she traveled and gave controversial speeches to powerful people and greeted those who came to see her. She met with her confessor and poured out her heart to him in letters.  She steadfastly worked for Christ.

"Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today. Let us begin." — Mother Teresa

Mercies in Disguise

This is a beautiful song by Laura Story called Blessings. It talks about the purpose of suffering in this life.

Sunday Snippets--A Catholic Carnival

Sunday Snippets is brought to you each week by RAnn at This, That and the Other Thing.

This week's theme was the hot weather we've been having.  Music Monday featured Lovin' Spoonful's Summer in the City.  Art and Beauty Tuesday featured Summer at the Taco Bell, Rt. 22, Hillside, NJ by Valeri Larko.  Poetry Wednesday featured one of my own poems, This Time.

I highlighted a budget food blog, Budget Bytes and the newly restored Cyclorama in Gettysburg.

Finally, I highlighted a very important article by Mark Shea on Catholic Social Justice and the Economy.

 

Catholic Social Justice and the Economy

Mark Shea, a popular Catholic blogger, has written a very pertinent piece on Catholic social justice and the economy.

In it he says, basically, that among many who consider themselves serious Catholics, there are those who talk a lot about the efficacy of sacrifice for women experiencing an unexpected pregnancy, but nothing about the sacrifice the rich must make to serve the poor.

He quotes a reader who initiated the conversation:

We are a religion demanding that the now-pregnant mother of three others must be willing to risk her life during her pregnancy, or to carry to term the product of a rape.

But the 8 digit earning executive gets a pass in his responsibility to continue to create jobs because his taxes are nudged up a wee bit since that's the way the market works. This wealthy man could not possibly be expected to do such oddly heroic things as hire workers when his jets are getting extra taxes.

His enormous excess personal wealth must remain intact and this is held as morally acceptable and in some quarters morally commendable.

If a minor increase in taxes plagues those with excess luxury so much that they do not do what is right and just with their means, they are not living Christian lives.

Pope Benedict had this to say about economics and the Christian: (emphasis mine)

The dignity of the individual and the demands of justice require, particularly today, that economic choices do not cause disparities in wealth to increase in an excessive and morally unacceptable manner, and that we continue to prioritize the goal of access to steady employment for everyone. Lowering the level of protection accorded to the rights of workers, or abandoning mechanisms of wealth redistribution in order to increase the country's international competitiveness, hinder the achievement of lasting development.

Many of us have born the burden of a job loss brought on by a company paying a bit too much attention to "international competitiveness" and not to the larger picture.  The companies that survive (and they are few and far between) are those who look at the dignity of their workers and the integrity of their organization instead of short term (Pope Benedict says "sometimes very short term") profits for the few at the top.

The Uneasy Marriage of Religion and Politics
The difficulty in this country is one of melding religion and politics.  So far, in the United States, there has never been a political party that has followed all the teachings of the Church.  To be with the church on life issues, but not on poverty and social justice issues may be a "conservative" stance, but it is not the Church's stance. To work for issues of social justice while ignoring the pre-born is also not the Church's stance.

It presents a conundrum for thinking Catholics before every election, but our lives should reflect both life and social justice issues.  We should not just pull a lever (or fill in one of those damnable bubbles) every year (or every 4 years) and feel we've done our duty by the Church.  We need to write our representatives on both sides of the aisle and insist that they do what is best for the country, which includes a safety net for the poor and respect for all life.

A political party which hijacks one issue over another while ignoring an entire group of its constituents in need does not deserve to be held up as the only party for "real" Christians. Such Pharisaical attitudes were precisely the kind of thing Jesus spoke out against. Having the outward trappings of faith without the real concern and love for others is no faith at all.

We are in a crucial time in this country We need to pull together to make sure that all of us have a means to make an honest living and all of us have access to the basics: food, clothing, shelter and dignified healthcare.

No one political party will save you. Only God has done that.  We need to show His love to the world.

Poetry Wednesday--This Time

I wrote this poem after listening to "Summer in the City" during one of the hottest days of the year. It is called "This Time."

This summer
in this city
brings me back to troubled times
announced in hushed tones
on black
and white
tv; it formed the soundtrack of our lives.

This time it's so hot
that money melts
quicker than we can make it;
quicker than the company
can decide
to put enough aside
to throw our way
like the the biblical rich man
to the dogs.

This time, the violence is horrifically new
and yet, pit-of-the-stomach familiar.
All in HD
24 hours a day
for our eternal
entertainment.

This time, we are walled away,
each alone in our
climate-controlled cubicle
complete with computer
that goes everywhere we go
to distract us
from reality.

It is happening again,
but this time,
I don't see

a revolution.

Things to See in Gettysburg

 I saw the newly restored Cyclorama in Gettysburg today with a friend.  They've moved the original circular painting to the new visitor's center and it has been restored.

I was amazed at the beauty of the artwork, both 2 and 3 dimensional.  In the foreground of both of these examples, you will see 3-dimensional reconstructions (the fence and the cannon with surrounding grounds and foliage) that blend seamlessly into the painted background.

During the show, you see the sky change color as the sun rises, watch and hear bombs explode all around you as the battle is explained.

My only complaint is they usher you out fairly quickly, but they do give you some time to walk around and see the painting after the explanation is over.

The museum is included in the price and between the 2 attractions, it takes the better part of a day to complete.

There's lots to see here to keep you coming back.

Art and Beauty Tuesday--Valeri Larko

I was impressed with this picture in terms of its realism but I wasn't going to use it until I decided to use Lovin' Spoonful's Summer in the City as yesterday's Music Monday.  I thought this picture went perfectly with the idea of Summer in the City with its depiction of the scene we often see when looking for a rest from a long summer drive.  I think maybe the thermometer under the Citgo sign should read a bit higher than a mere 99 though!

Oh yeah, and, notice the cheap gas prices!!